To
by Rising Lorn
Summary: A Hakumen/Nirvana story chronicling the pairs ascension from mutual hatred to mutual love. This one is significantly longer than my previous entry and also much slower in development. On temporary hold to come up with better ideas.
1. To Fight

"_To…"_

To Fight

"Tsubaki!"

Pain. Blunt, searing pain. Carl Clover saw lights winking in front of his eyes as the ground below came screaming at him. Another dull pain filled his entire body as he slammed into the ground, leaving visible cracks upon its surface. The force was such that he bounced up somewhat; he used this opportunity to right himself in midair and land on his feet. He looked up at the white figure sprinting at him. He barely had time to turn the puppet he carried into battle into a shield to block Hakumen's attack.

Hakumen recoiled from the block and Carl took his chance to strike. A quick succession of strikes slammed Hakumen's chest, and then he felt it. A massive, drilling hand hit his chest and sent him flying back into a nearby shack, destroying the wall in the process. Splintered wood, drywall and debris exploded out and littered the ground. Hakumen got to his feet and shook himself off. Nirvana stood behind Carl. Her gait had changed significantly; she no longer stood slumped, arms barely off the ground, instead she now stood erect, her arms raised in front of her in a fighting stance.

Hakumen resumed his usual fighting stance and exhaled. In an instant, he was mere feet from Carl, his body bent low to the ground. "Gurren! Enma!" A raging uppercut caught Carl off guard, and he was catapulted into the air. Hakumen jumped to follow him. "Hotaru!" A spinning kick propelled him higher, and so too, did Hakumen soar through the air. "Tsubaki!" Hakumen's Oougi made contact again with Carl, hitting him broadly across his back and sending him plummeting once again. Hakumen launched himself towards the ground, landed, and did not give Carl a chance to right himself this time. "Renka!" A powerful kick slammed into Carl's chest, followed immediately by a massive overhead slash. "ZANTETSU!" Carl slid along the ground several feet before coming to a grinding halt. Covered in dust, bruises, cuts and abrasions he got shakily to his feet.

"A-Ada," he coughed. Nirvana teleported in front of him. Carl continued to cough, still trying to recover from the powerful assault he endured.

"Hmph," muttered Hakumen, "I hope you're ready to finish this child." He dashed towards Nirvana, his Oougi ready to strike.

Carl looked up at Hakumen rushing towards them. His eyes grew wide. "Con fuoco!" Again, Hakumen was slammed by a drilling arm.

Nirvana's expressionless face stared after Hakumen as he flew back and hit the ground, skidding several feet before stopping. "Why do you continue to fight a child?" she shouted after him.

Hakumen got to his feet, swaying slightly. The last hit had done a fair bit of damage. "Why do you continue to accompany him, Nirvana?" he shot back.

Carl muttered to Nirvana, "Let's finish this sis, I'm really hurting." He clutched his side as he spoke. "We'll try to knock him off the edge." He gestured towards the edge of the shantytown, which feature a drop some two hundred feet into the deepest bowels of Kagutsuchi.

Nirvana chastised her brother. "Well, if we hadn't fought him, this wouldn't have happened," she said waspishly. Carl inclined his head and muttered and apology. The pair began to run at Hakumen.

Hakumen backed up slowly, until his foot caught hold of the edge. He had no intention of killing the child, but it seems they were not so merciful. Ready now for the attack, he prepared a trump card: Kokuujin: Yukikaze. He set himself into a counter stance and prepared himself; Carl had taken the lead and was going to open the assault.

It was only just in time that Nirvana realized what Hakumen was preparing when she acted. Carl's eyes went wide in disbelief as he saw his fist bounce off of the projected seal Hakumen created to counter his assault. "Now, child, I have you!" he shouted.

Nirvana teleported in front of Carl, and took the brunt of the assault. An ominous cracking noise rang through air, and when the dust the attack had kicked up settled, she stood, hunched over, electricity crackling about her. She was out of commission for now. Carl stared at Nirvana and then looked at Hakumen. With his sister unable to fight, he was no match for Hakumen, but still, he would try. His attacks grew more feeble as Hakumen parried them, however, as he was quickly tiring.

Far off, Nirvana could hear the sounds of battle becoming steadily clearer in her ears. She came to and noticed Carl hunched over a few feet from Hakumen, who remained quite close to the edge of the land they fought on. She walked jerkily towards the two, eventually picking up enough speed to break into an awkward run. Carl turned to see his sister running straight at them and caught on to what she was about to do. He jumped into the air and launched his last, desperate attack; he would transform his puppet into a lance to hit Hakumen across the face and compound the force that Nirvana's punch to the chest would produce. Hakumen, however, read Nirvana's gait in an instant and caught her arm. Determined, Nirvana swung her body weight in a half-circle around Hakumen. Off balance, he tottered over the edge and felt himself falling.

For the third time, Carl's eyes went wide and he cried out, "Sis!"

Nirvana, still clutching Hakumen's arm and dragging him down shouted back, "Forgive me, Carl!"

Hakumen realized at the last possible instant that Carl was going to fall too, and he would not survive such a fall. "Today is not your day child," he shouted, "HOTARU!" His foot barely connected with Carl's chest, but it was sufficient enough to launch him a few feet back and land harmlessly, for the most part, on the ground.

Carl ran to the edge and looked down at the falling pair. Tears flowing from his eyes, he shouted, "Ada! Ada! ADA!" No response came, and she did not teleport to his side. He fell to his knees, buried his face in his hands and began to cry.

* * *

Hakumen regained consciousness after having slammed his left shoulder into the ground to take the impact of the fall. As he fell he wrestled Nirvana, who fought back with gusto, ignorant of the fact that Hakumen was trying to position her over him so as not to take such a great impact. Nox Nyctores or not, Nirvana was not invulnerable; the suit Hakumen wore, however, was far more durable than she was. His efforts were in vain, but his expectations of her durability proven wrong when awoke to find her sitting on a nearby rock. He shook his head violently; pain welled all over his body and it clouded his mind. "And to what reason do I owe the good grace of your rage?" he asked.

Nirvana crossed her arms. Hakumen was adept at reading body language; due, she thought, to his blank mask. "You could have killed Carl. What other reason could I possibly have?" she shot.

Hakumen scoffed. "I had no intent on killing that child; he, however, seemed to have a different idea, and, so it would seem, do you," he said calmly. He looked about for a path so he could return to the upper levels of Kagutsuchi; he had little interest in entertaining Nirvana.

Nirvana was taken aback. "I never meant to kill you, and neither did Carl," she said defensively.

Hakumen scoffed again. "Well, I intend to get myself out of here," he explained impatiently, "So good luck to you Nirvana."

Nirvana got up and drew her fist back, ready to punch Hakumen. Hakumen turned around, ready to block the punch, but instead was greeted by the sight of Nirvana tottering forward and landing heavily on his chest. He caught Nirvana and propped her upright. "I suggest you not attack me again Nirvana," said Hakumen.

Nirvana looked away, angry at Hakumen, and angry at herself for being damaged. She hobbled slowly back to the rock she was sitting on and set herself down on it heavily. She ached all over, and her left leg felt like it was moving improperly. The injuries were beyond the simple repair going out of commission afforded her.

Hakumen stared at Nirvana: he was fighting a strong compulsion to help her; having just finished fighting her meant little, as she was visibly hurt and in need of assistance. In an attempt to direct the conversation towards proffering help (he did not want to simply ask, as that would be rather unfitting for his own prescribed character), he asked her, "Why do you continue to follow that child Nirvana?" This proved to be the wrong question to ask.

Nirvana crossed her arms again and responded harshly, "My name is Ada. That child's name is Carl. He is my brother, and I love him. For that reason I follow him: to keep him safe."

"A rather quaint idea Nirvana," said Hakumen, "But it remains a fact that you are a Nox Nyctores: an implement of war now following that child about like a lap-dog."

Nirvana was quickly losing her patience, and this remark dealt a serious blow to her own dwindling feeling of humanity. "A lap-dog?" she scoffed, "And what do you propose you are, Hakumen? A free agent willingly working for Kokonoe?"

Could he, Hakumen would have scowled. "I have no affiliation with that Grimalkin any longer Nirvana," he said testily.

Nirvana gave a harsh laugh. "Oh you're right, I've forgotten, you're working under a new employer now aren't you? How is that little vampire?" she needled.

Hakumen raised his voice. "That is neither here nor there Nirvana. I remain acting on my own free will…"

Nirvana began to laugh, a cold, cruel laugh. "You're a horrific liar, you know that right?" she shot back, "I'm in a better position than you are."

"An expressionless marionette under the thumbnail of that small child is hardly in a position to sound prideful," said Hakumen scathingly, "Moreover, I am not an implement of death and destruction Nirvana, as you are, and are destined to be."

Nirvana was greatly stung by this remark; she never took affronts to her face well, much less attacks on her current condition. "Expressionless? At least I HAVE a face Hakumen. A faceless freak like you is hardly in a position to sound prideful," she shrieked, her voice now shaking with rage, "And you're definitely one to talk; at least I can CHOOSE when destroy, unlike you. I've seen you pursuing your agenda with a frighteningly obsessive air." In an instant, she felt a sick satisfaction; Hakumen abruptly turned away from her, though he did not start walking. "What? Have I touched the nerve of the legendary Hero?" she nettled.

"Do not speak about that which you do not understand," said Hakumen, his voice even but his tone murderous.

"Why! What's the matter Hakumen? Did it hurt for me to say that?" she raged. She felt a tear running down the crack under her eye. She wiped it away hastily, though more were beginning to flow; it had been ages since she had last cried. "Out of combat, you're entirely worthless!" Her voice was breaking now; his words were sinking in steadily, and they cut in ways his Oougi could not. "Did I touch a nerve Hakumen!"

Hakumen clenched his fists: rage and sadness consumed him as he wheeled around. "YES, YOU DID," he screamed, "I may not complain as you do about my past, but I do not pretend to be something I no longer am! I am no longer Jin!" Behind the echoing, harsh tones of his voice lurked the hurt, frightened tone of Jin Kisarigi, unheard by anyone but himself. "I do not enjoy for a second the curses this unit bestows me, the least of which is that which made me human!" He pointed directly at his blank mask. "You at least bear the dregs of human resemblance, but what do I bear? Blank oblivion, arms and legs. Enemies recoil in fear before me, but so do those with which I have no issue." His voice grew steadily more even, but increasingly bitter, "I know the position I occupy now: a relic of the past forced into the bidding of others." He sat down on a nearby rock, his forehead in his hand. "I am a marionette more than you are Nirvana. I…apologize."

Nirvana was caught off-guard. From boiling rage, Hakumen dropped in an instant to self-loathing melancholy. She stood up, tottered unevenly over to him, and sat down with care, not trusting her own balance. "I should apologize as well then Hakumen," she said softly, "I…didn't quite realize what it was I was saying."

Hakumen looked up at Nirvana and shook his head. "No, you most certainly did Nirvana," he explained, "But I do not damn you for it. You simply spoke what you have already experienced."

Nirvana felt herself beginning to cry again and looked away shamefully. Hakumen placed a reaffirming hand on her shoulder. "I suppose we are kindred spirits much more than I would have surmised," he said evenly, the bitterness beginning to drain from his voice. "I apologize for not seeing the lengths to which you must have, and inevitably must continue to, suffer. I realize now that perhaps my ability to read body language is not as adept as I expected."

Nirvana wiped the tears from under her eye and spoke shakily through her sobs, "Likewise. I should not have said what I did."

"I do not fault you for it, Nirvana," mumbled Hakumen, "It was, however painful, truth."

Nirvana looked back at Hakumen. "That doesn't mean it has to stay so," she said, her voice evening, "I reject the views others have of me. I have that choice. I choose instead to prove that I am not a senseless machine for war as so many see me, but rather a soul trapped in the body of such. You too, have that choice."

Hakumen felt himself resonate rather strongly with Nirvana. The way she spoke to him, and the tone she carried in her voice held something greater than sympathy: it held empathy. Nirvana did not feel sorry _for_ him, she was sorry _with _him. "Thank you," he said; his voice cracked the tiniest fraction, "Nirvana."

Nirvana held up a long, silvery finger and wagged it. "I told you before Hakumen," she said in mock annoyance, "Ada."

Hakumen looked at Ada; perhaps she could sense his disbelief because she laughed. Hakumen joined her. "Very well," he said, his voice somewhat more content, "Ada."

Nirvana inclined her head in thanks. She looked up at Hakumen and felt uneasy. "I suppose…if you want," she began, but Hakumen cut her off.

"No. That was a different time, a different place, and a different me," he said somberly. Perhaps he realized he was beginning to sound melancholy again because he erased the tone from his voice before continuing, "I am Hakumen now. I can live alongside that title."

Ada nodded. She made to stand up alongside Hakumen but instead tottered forward. Hakumen caught her mid-fall and propped her up. "Whether or not it damages your pride," he said, putting an arm around her and watching her footing so she did not trip on the numerous rocks that littered the ground, "I am insisting I help you out of here. There shall be no argument."

Ada could have smiled.


	2. To Ascend

To Ascend

Hakumen looked about, still supporting Ada on his shoulder; they seemed to have moved up a level or two in Kagustuchi, though the air around them was stale, almost rotted, and the pipes and debris about him bore cobwebs and other strange, sinister looking materials. It appeared that the pipes were beginning to melt; strange black drippings hung from many of them. Hakumen's senses perked up. He would have to defend Ada if anything happened. Nothing seemed off. Not yet anyway.

Out of the corner of his vision, he noticed movement. "Ada," he said sternly, his body tensing, "Stay where you are. I sense the presence of another." He looked about; something sinister lay hidden among the detritus and rotted machinery. In an instant, he was struck by something hard and skeletal. He felt himself fly back through the air into a large pipe, which promptly broke into pieces. He and the useless metal wreck fell to the earth with a resounding crash. Bleary and slightly concussed, Hakumen looked out in the direction of his attacker. As he expected, it was the ball of corruption: Arakune. He shakily got to his feet and looked at the formless blob, his static mask staring back at him. Hakumen drew his Oougi and pointed it at Arakune. "Now is not the time," he muttered, "I have little patience for your imposition right now. Leave."

Whether Arakune had not heard him or simply did not care, Hakumen did not know, but in an instant, hundreds of insects were hurling his way. With one swing, they were negated, black holes popping into existence between the two by the hundreds, overlapping one another, consuming one another, and obscuring Hakumen's view of Arakune. "Above!" he shouted, immediately bringing his arms and his sword to bear above him. A loud clang rang through the otherwise dead air; Hakumen jumped, pushing Arakune higher into the air with him and then spun, kicking his leg out. "Hotaru!" The kick connected and Arakune was propelled still higher into the air before crashing noisily onto the ground. The blob formed itself upright again and turned its mask towards Hakumen once more. "Do not try me," thundered Hakumen murderously, "You stand no chance before this blade." Arakune rushed towards Hakumen again, but diverted course, striking Ada with such force that she flew into a heap of broken pipes. Detritus and dust bloomed about where she crashed; distracted, and fearing the worst Hakumen called out, "Ada?" A flurry of insects surrounded him, and he felt the sharp blows of the skeletal arms hidden in Arakune about his body, accompanied by the bites and stings of the insects. He began staggering back, taking blow after blow before finally seeing an opening; using the remainder of his strength, he held his sword aloft, parallel to the ground and shouted desperately, "Kokuujin: YUKIKAZE!" He saw Arakune's attack connect with the symbol and in an instant; he had darted past the creature, leaving only the rushing sound of wind in his wake. Arakune crumpled to the ground and dissolved away, seeking shelter no doubt, to deal with the rather serious wound Hakumen had inflicted.

Exhausted, Hakumen sheathed his sword and began to, with great difficult, cast aside broken pipe. At last, he found Ada; were it not for the detritus surrounding her body, and the context in which he found her, she might have looked peacefully asleep. He picked her up (his exhaustion made her already heavy frame considerably more so) and struggled his back onto the path they were originally on. Each step he took drained him of more of his energy, until willpower alone forced him to press on. Only the heavy stomping of his feet broke the silence, but their once powerful and quick rhythm had slowed, and now they mirrored the rhythm of a chiming grandfather clock. At last, Hakumen could not step forward, much less stand. He felt his legs ready to give out under him. "Impossible. The power of the Susano-o unit cannot possibly be failing me," Hakumen said angrily, "I must persevere." He made to step forward, but instead, he fell to his knees. The many eyes about his body became bleary and were unfocusing; some were closing. "No!" he said, furious with himself, "I…cannot…give in." Even as he said this, he felt his body swaying forward; Nirvana slid from his arms and fell with a soft _thump_ before him. He fell forward, and the last sensation he knew was the feeling of soft silk draping hard metal making contact with his head.

* * *

Hakumen opened his eyes and looked about. He instinctively reached for his sword as the door opened; he let go of the hilt immediately when he realized it was just a Kaka kitten. Followed by another. Then another. Taokaka followed the three and looked over at Hakumen. "Hey there Mask-person, you're finally up," she said brightly. "Hard Guy's up too. She hasn't said much though…" She gestured at Ada, who was sitting quietly in a chair in the corner of the room, regarding the kittens with what Hakumen alone interpreted as amusement. "Where's Shorty?" asked Tao, more to Hakumen than Ada. Meanwhile, the Kaka kittens bounced about Hakumen cheerily, expressing interest and firing questions at him a mile a minute.

Hakumen kept his eyes trained on each of the kittens as well as Tao. "I have no answer to that. He is certainly alive, I made sure of that," said Hakumen curtly. He gave Ada a meaningful look, who shook her head, explaining, inaudible to all but the Silver Knight, "I can't teleport back to him still. The damages were sufficiently…severe…enough to require more sophisticated repair."

Hakumen felt a tinge of guilt. He looked over at Tao and asked, "Both Ada and I need to get out of here." It was not a question, yet Tao took it as such.

Tao stared absently at Hakumen. "Okay. You just go up," she said after much deliberation.

Hakumen stared in disbelief at the catgirl. "I had figured as much," he said curtly, "I take my leave then." He walked over to Ada and proffered an arm for support. She politely declined and got to her feet; he could tell her movement was restricted, but she could at least walk. Hakumen left the room in a hurry, determined to return to the upper levels of Kagutsuchi; not much aid could be offered to Ada in this place. As he made to walk towards the main road, a voice called out.

"Hakumen! Don't you owe the Kaka clan your gratitude?" It was Ada. Tao, obviously could not hear her, and instead watched with interest as Hakumen turned about, walked up to her and said, significant agitation in his voice, "I am in your debt." He did an about-face and beckoned for Ada to follow. She walked after him, stopping long enough to face Tao and give her a small bow.

Tao scratched her stomach absently. "Why did Hard Guy bow to me?" she asked.

Hakumen had scarcely found the main road when Ada caught up to him. "Hey!" she asked huffily, "What happened?"

Hakumen launched into an explanation about his fight with Arakune but Ada cut him off. "No, I mean, what gives with your personality?" she asked. Hakumen stared at her.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

Ada wished she could roll her eyes. "You go from making sure I don't fall behind to _carrying me_ to leaving me behind!" she noted. Shades of hurt lined the edges of her voice.

Hakumen sighed. "I offered you assistance and you denied it. You may not be in a condition to fight or teleport, but I could tell you were well enough to walk on your own. I figured my pace would be no problem to you," he explained. He looked at Ada and could tell she was a bit injured by this course of action. He felt awkward. Kindness was an odd act; he was a man of justice, not kind acts. If the two overlapped, then that was fine, but he did not exclusively act out of kindness. He shifted uneasily on his feet. There was, he felt, no other person who could quite understand his personal predicament concerning his face and dwindling humanity other than Ada. It scared him to realize that he had more in common with a Nox Nyctores than he had with any living human. Then again, Ada could empathize with him so easily because she herself was a in a situation similar to his own. He looked at Ada and saw her body language had not changed. "I…apologize Ada. I should have noted the pace at which I was walking. Forgive me for letting urgency take the better of my person; I only wished you be returned quickly to Carl so you could be repaired," explained Hakumen. To him, the apology seemed complete and genuine, but he almost regretted saying what he did when Ada's posture shifted and she seemed to almost laugh.

"Hakumen," said Ada, the injury ebbing from her voice, "I appreciate the explanation, but you can say all of that just by saying 'I'm sorry.' You know that right?"

Hakumen was puzzled. "I felt I needed to explain my actions so that you wouldn't take them wrongly," he explained.

Ada nodded. Hakumen could picture an almost smug smirk on her face; this didn't bother him as much as it would have had it been another. "I understand that Hakumen," she said, "But sometimes you can imply entire texts with just a few words."

Hakumen gave a curt nod. He didn't fully believe Ada, but he supposed she did at least have a point. He turned to face down the road. There was still a great deal of walking to do. "Let us continue," he said, "Hopefully Carl did not wander far from where we fought." The two continued off along the path.

As the two walked through Kagutsuchi's lower levels, Hakumen pointed out to Ada the slowly changing architecture; houses were becoming less cramped and ramshackle looking and the air about them seemed to be growing brighter. He launched into a lengthy explanation of the injustices the Novis Orbis Librarium had inflicted upon humanity, and the very name "Hierarchical City" was a standing testament to the injustice of uneven wealth. Ada was rather impressed; Hakumen spoke very little, as far as she could tell from the few interactions she had with him, but he seemed to know much more than she would have guessed. Perhaps having seen only the crazed devotion he has to enacting justice had tinged her perception of her. "Ultimately," explained Hakumen, internally feeling somewhat out of place (he knew himself he never spoke this much), "It is of lower priority at the moment. The injustices of this world are many and multi-headed, but it is impossible to right them as long as the threat of the Black Beast looms."

Hakumen suddenly stopped walking and looked about. They were in Orient Town. They had walked a considerable amount in what felt like a short time, but he soon realized that sun was now sitting rather low in the sky. Ada realized where they were and suddenly spoke up, "Ah! I know this place. Carl might be somewhere near-by; he no doubt went to Litchi for his wounds. At least…I hope he did." Her voice was drenched with worry and lined with fear.

Hakumen placed reassuring hand on Nirvana shoulder, saying, "I can assure you, I doubt the child would be so quickly driven to giving up hope." Ada nodded.

The two walked into Litchi's clinic, and there was suddenly a cry of alarm. "Hakumen! And…Nirvana?" exclaimed Litchi, "Why are both of you here?"

Hakumen made an impatient noise. "Where is the child? I am almost certain he came to you for treatment," he said tersely.

Litchi was unsure how to respond. Did Hakumen plan to hurt Carl? Why was Nirvana with him? Carl had explained the he had been fighting Hakumen, how Nirvana had fallen down a deep chasm with him, and how he was incredibly worried about her. Litchi had done the best she could to clean, dress and heal his wounds, but he was still incredibly distressed; evidently, Nirvana's inability to teleport to him left him fearing the worst. However, before Litchi could respond to Hakumen, the door behind her slid open and a cry of relief filled the room.

"Ada! You're alright!" exclaimed Carl. He ran towards his sister; she knelt down and embraced him. Hakumen noticed that Carl was crying rather profusely; Ada on the other, was doing her best not to.

Hakumen watched the scene with general indifference. However much Ada could resonate with him made no difference; she was still Carl's Nox Nyctores and very intent on protecting him. He wondered glumly if they would fight once again the next time they met. Carl turned his attention to Hakumen; the White Void expected some kind of angry diatribe, but instead was met with an incredibly awkward admission of thanks. "Uh, Hakumen? Or uh…Mr. Hakumen?" he said quietly.

Hakumen turned his head in his direction and gave a short nod to show he was listening. Carl seemed to be significantly more intimidated now that Hakumen was giving him his full attention. "I…I want to thank you for bringing Ada back and for keeping her safe," he said timidly. "She also wants you to know…"

Hakumen cut across him. "I'm sure that whatever Ada wants to say to me she is perfectly capable of saying herself," he said simply. He felt a twinge of amusement at the perplexed look on Carl's face.

"Thank you," said Ada softly, "Hakumen." She inclined her head. Carl looked between the two, comprehension dawning on his face.

"I didn't know you could understand her Mr. Hakumen," said Carl in awe.

Hakumen rolled the many eyes on his suit. "Yes, child," he said, vaguely agitated, but still somewhat amused, "I can understand Ada just fine."

Ada took this opportunity to see how well Hakumen was at recovering from unexpected pressure. "So Hakumen, I'm no longer Deus Machina: Nirvana to you am I?" she said playfully.

Hakumen turned his head away and averted the gaze of his many eyes. Carl stared at Hakumen and then looked back at Ada. "What happened?" he asked.

Hakumen turned to leave the clinic, mildly amused at Litchi's look of utter incomprehension. "That child is a story for either another time, or for Ada to tell you," he explained. He gave Ada a nod and closed the clinic door behind him.

Ada stared at the door for some time, not hearing Carl's cries of joy and surprise at the many injuries that were spread about her body. Deep within her, was the twang of sadness. Absently, she put her hand to her chest and looked at the ground. "Ada!" said Carl loudly. She looked up at him.

"I'm sorry Carl, I got lost in a thought for a second," she explained.

Carl nodded. "That's fine. Let's get you fixed," he said, "You're pretty damaged."

Ada gave a small nod.

* * *

"What's this Mr. Hero?" asked an annoyingly familiar voice.

Hakumen stopped walking and turned about. It was her: Rachel Alucard. As was her modus operandi, she wore a self-satisfied smirk on her face. "What?" he said shortly.

"Come now," she chimed, "That's no way to respond to a lady." Hakumen clenched a fist instinctively. "Much less act," she added, noticing Hakumen's reaction. Hakumen unclenched his fist, turned abruptly about, and began walking again.

"If you have nothing to say to me," he said, irritated, "Then I must take my leave."

"Ah, but I do Mr. Hero, so stay where you are," she said. Her expression was maddeningly smug. Hakumen turned to face her once again and threw his hands out in exasperation.

"What? You're wasting my time," he said, his patience thinning, "What is it?"

"You seem to have an awful lot of time to have accompanied that Nox Nyctores to a clinic so she could reunite with her brother," she said simply.

Hakumen wished he could scowl. "She was injured," he said curtly, "I did what any individual with a sense of justice or morality would do."

Rachel gave a tinkling laugh. "She's not a person, Hakumen, she's a weapon. A Nox Nyctores. Although a rather attractive one…to some tastes anyway," she rang.

Hakumen turned about abruptly once again, this time determined not to stop or turn around. "I've had enough of this," he said, anger getting the better of him, "Good-bye."

"I didn't think you had it in you, Mr. Hero," called Rachel after him.

Hakumen turned his head. "What I did means nothing Rachel," he said, "Nothing at all."

"You regard her as another person Hakumen," she said with a tone of finality, "That means everything."

Hakumen kept walking. After a few seconds, he no longer sensed Rachel behind him. As soon as her presence had vanished from his perception, he fell to his knees and punched the ground.

She was right.

* * *

**The following is non-canon to the story. It is completely ridiculous and should not be taken seriously or even read. Go to the next chapter or something. Please. My God, why are you still reading! STOP. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD STO-**

_A dark room slowly comes into focus, a desk and two chairs stand in the center. Two shadowed figures shuffle in and sit down. The sound of clearing throats and shuffling papers is heard and suddenly the room is flooded with light._

Ragna tugs on his collar nervously; he is noticeably agitated. "Grah! This is stupid! Can't I just wear my damned jacket?" he says, irritated. A sharp blow to the back of his head leaves spots blinking before his eyes. "Hey! Ow! What the hell!"

Kokonoe shuffles the papers in front of her around before turning to face Ragna. "Shut up, will you? Honestly, all you seem to be able to do is fight and bitch," she snaps. She clears her throat and then says brightly, "Hello all, this is a small segment at the end of the "_To…_" chapters that will act as a sort of "free talk" for the author, mostly to make jokes and lighten up his mood after sitting in serious-writing mode."

Ragna's eyes widen and his jaw drops. The shift in tone was scary. Kokonoe angrily nudges him in the ribs and shoots him a darkly significant look. "O-oh! Right! I'm the host, Ragna," he begins. Another sharp blow strikes the back of his head. "What the fuck!" He turns and looks angrily at Kokonoe.

"_I'm_ the host, Ragna, Kokonoe," she says simply, "And this is BBCS: BlazBlue Crack Segments." Ragna splutters at the interruption before reserving himself to quiet rage. "We'll be looking today at the glorious pain-in-ass Hakumen!"

_Scuffling is heard off the set, followed by stomping and muffled protests._ _Ominous rumbling is heard behind the wall to their left, when suddenly it explodes, a white figure flying out as a gigantic golden figure steps through, shouting at the top of his lungs._

"ANOTHER POSSIBILITY OF THE CONTINUUM SHIFT!" shouts Golden Tager. He flexes before abruptly turning around and leaving.

A groan is heard from the ground as Hakumen shakily gets to his feet and dusts himself off. He looks at Kokonoe and then Ragna before going into what seems to be an epileptic seizure of rage. "BLACK BEAST! GRIMALKIN! BLACK BEAST! GRIMALKIN! BLAAAAAAACK BEAAAAAAST! GRIMAAAAAAAAAAAALKIN!" he shouts, his voice growing increasingly psychotic.

Ragna pushes himself away from the desk and Hakumen, noticeably shuddering in fear. "Shut up! You're reminding me of Jin!" he shouts, his voice cracking in fear.

Kokonoe idly removes a lollipop from her chest pocket and begins to suck on it. "When you're done overacting Hakumen, you can sit down. No one has to be in character for these segments. Especially _that_ in character," she says, interest playing across her face.

Hakumen abruptly stops screaming and looks back at the two. "Oh! Alright. Thank God for that. I hate having to sound like I'm from fifteen fifty-fucking-two," he says happily, his voice still echoing ominously out of his suit.

Ragna falls over in his seat and stands up, pointing in horror at Hakumen. "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?" he shouts.

Hakumen shrugs. "What are you talking about Ragna?" he asks, confused. Kokonoe grabs Ragna by the ears and forces him back into his seat. Hakumen accepts a chair from the set decorator, Arakune and thanks him before sitting down. His posture is relaxed; almost lazy.

Kokonoe turns to Hakumen and then looks down at the papers before her. "Hakumen, we've got a question for you, which is the entire point of this segment. Have you ever thought about your entire catch phrase?"

Hakumen shakes his head. "I am the white void, etc. etc. the end has come?" he asks.

Kokonoe's face begins to twist into a sneer. "Have you ever thought hard about that last part?" she asks, beginning to snicker.

Hakumen stares at Kokonoe. Ragna suddenly seems to snap out of his trance-like horror and begins to laugh. "Oh…God. You're fucking kidding me. Why didn't I think of that?"

Hakumen looks between the two and asks, "What on earth are you two talking about?"

Kokonoe begins to laugh. "Well, the entire story the author is writing _is_ a romance story."

Ragna stops laughing long enough to say, "So Hakumen is Ada's end going to come soon?"

Hakumen scratches the back of his head. "I'm missing something here," he says, ever more confused.

Kokonoe looks ahead the camera and waves. In between laughs she musters, "Th-that's all f-for to-today everyone! Next week, w-w-we tackle a new innuendo!"

Ragna waves cheerily at the camera as Hakumen abruptly stands up, clutching at his head.

As the set fades to black, he can be heard screaming, "YOU SICK FUCKS! WHY WOULD YOU POINT THAT OUT!"


	3. To Accept

**Author's Note: Holy crap, sorry this took so long, I got distracted with Ragna's Apartment. Ah well, people are lapping that series up like water in comparison to this one. Still, I write! Onwards! If you're confused about what it is Hakumen and Jin are arguing about, drop me a line, I'd be happy to explain; I feel that I made the whole argument a bid muddy. Then again, that muddiness is **_**somewhat**_** intentional, given the issues at hand.**

To Accept

Hakumen, the Silver Knight, was suffering the initial pangs of lovesickness. The feeling was odd. Obscure. Alien. Unfit. Wrong. He stared at the sizeable hole he had made in the ground. His fist ground into the dirt, the eyes on his hand seeing nothing but dust fly about; bits of dirt and rock flew into the air when he punched the ground again. "How?" he asked. His voice echoed meaninglessly around him. "How?" He had been with Ada for no longer than a few hours. No individual could produce such an effect on him that quickly; it didn't make sense. 'Ah, but then again, there was Tsubaki when you still held your original form,' said a nasty voice in his head; it's body began to form out of the black emptiness into an approximation of Jin. Hakumen shook his head. 'That didn't take place over the course over a few hours though,' he argued back with himself. 'Didn't it?' said the nasty voice back, 'If I recall your initial encounter…_my_ initial encounter…with her was rather interesting. As childish and annoying as it might have been, a promise was a promise. A promise I couldn't quite keep; expected, we were children,' he added bitterly. Hakumen imagined himself backhanding the apparition in his mind. His hand phased through this shadow Jin harmlessly. 'That was you. I am not you. I am Hakumen. You are a figment of the past, an apparition that testifies to that which was only a possibility,' he said angrily. Jin scoffed. 'Really? What happened in the past is as real as what is happening now,' he said testily, 'I am still here, and you are still me.'

Hakumen turned his back on Jin. 'Nonsense,' he muttered with finality. Jin scoffed again. "Accept it. The only reason you are even attracted to her in the first place is because of me,' he said arrogantly. Hakumen wheeled around and grabbed Jin's collar. 'Liar!' he shouted. Jin smirked. 'Face it. That resonance, that intrigue, that empathy; all of it is meaningless with me. You base your own humanity off me. Off of _yourself_. The more you distance yourself from me, the more you do the same to _yourself_. _You_ make yourself less human, Hakumen,' explained Jin. Hakumen shook Jin. 'I will forge my own path, my own way and most importantly, _my own humanity_. You are a figment of the past. An echo. Nothing more,' raged Hakumen. Jin pushed Hakumen away. 'You're a fool and a hypocrite. Repeatedly you tell _me_ that I am blinded by bloodlust and that I have no control over myself in this loop. Look at you now: succumbing to the same traits that damned me until _I accepted them and pushed myself beyond them,'_ shouted Jin, 'Decide Hakumen!' Hakumen cried out in frustration. 'I define myself. I am no longer you _Jin Kisaragi_,' he shouted back. Jin backhanded him. The blow felt all too real to Hakumen. 'WRONG,' he screamed back, 'If you value maintaining your humanity at all, and more importantly if you value _her_ at all, then accept it!' Hakumen tried to punch Jin, but the attack phased through him again. 'Accept what?' he screamed. Jin sighed and turned his back on Hakumen. 'Have you listened at all to what I've said?' he asked, 'Hakumen, are you yourself, the Silver Knight, member of the Six Heroes, a man with no face and a body of steel, magus and technology? Are you purposeless? Empty? The White Susano~oh indeed.'

Hakumen stared at Jin. 'Yes,' he said simply. 'WRONG AGAIN!' shouted Jin angrily, he wheeled about to face him. 'YOU ARE MORE THAN THAT. You are Jin Kisaragi, you forsook death, like a coward, to resurrect yourself as a hero. But you had your reasons. You wanted more than the empty spotlight your old life had afforded you. You wanted purpose. Now, look at you: you forsake your original purpose, trying to create this new Hakumen, a Hakumen with no past, no origin, a true White Void. And yet you bitch! You moan! Faceless, expressionless, emotionless bastard!' he spat, 'You're a dichotomy! You let your past shine through only when it suits you! Pick one, Hakumen! Will you disconnect yourself from your past or will you build upon it?' Hakumen turned away from Jin angrily. The silence between the two solidified with every second. At last, Hakumen spoke, and as he did, he gait slumped in defeat. 'I am the White Void,' he said evenly. Jin grit his teeth, ready to shout more sense into him. "I am the cold steel," said Hakumen evenly, "The blade that will restore balance to the world, and to myself. I _am_ Hakumen. I _was_ Jin." A look of surprise erupted on Jin's face, but it faded quickly into a soft smirk. 'You stole my line,' he said softly, 'Bastard.' Hakumen turned to face Jin again. 'I know that you are my past; a disconnected, tangential and corrupted past, but my past nonetheless. I cannot escape that. My humanity is based not in the unit that I don, but what rather what has been put _in_ the unit. My soul. Your soul. Excuse me if I decide to deviate from how you would have gone about the situations I will have to face, but I am an old man, more learned and even-tempered," he said. Jin smirked more broadly; even-tempered? 'Fine,' he said. 'I must distance myself from you, Jin,' Hakumen continued, 'But I will cease to distance myself from your humanity.' Jin smiled for a brief second, 'It is _your_ humanity, Hakumen." He faded away into the darkness once again.

Hakumen stared at the hole he had made in the ground, filled it with the dirt and silt about it, and then stood up, resolve and determination flooding his limbs. "Perhaps there is time to deviate," he said aloud, "Perhaps there is even time to..."

* * *

Ada was unusually quiet, or so Carl thought, as he continued to inspect the damage his sister had sustained. He voiced his concern for her well-being. "Ada?" he asked tentatively.

For what might have been the seventh or eighth time, Ada jerked back to consciousness, answering Carl with an incredibly distracted, "What? I'm sorry Carl, I was dozing." Carl's face twisted into a frown.

"You've taken quite a beating. It'll take a while for you to be back to your usual self, even with the effects of the localized ars magus I've been using," he explained. Ada nodded to him and apologized for her state of disrepair. "No, it's fine sis," he said quickly, "I wasn't trying to make you feel guilty or anything. We'll just have to lay low for a while; you're not really in any condition to fight. You should have fully repaired yourself within a few days though." Such was the blessing of her condition as a Nox Nyctores: incredible, accelerated self-repair. The wounds she had taken from Hakumen's Ookami were not healing so easily, however. Carl worried significantly more about these wounds than any other. "I don't understand it sis," he said quietly, examining a rather large gash on her leg, "You normally regenerate cuts pretty fast. You're moving at a snail's pace with this one though."

Ada looked distractedly down at the cut on her thigh. She brushed it softly with her finger. "Hakumen…" she said quietly. The various nicks and cuts that had littered her body had almost entirely faded.

Carl's eyes widened. "Yeah, Ada, Mr. Hakumen did do that," he said carefully, "Are you angry at him? You didn't seem to be…" Had his sister been putting on a front for him?

Ada looked up at Carl. Beneath her porcelain face was a reassuring smile. "No Carl," she said, "I'm not angry with Hakumen at all." The gash on her leg only reminded her of Hakumen, of the kindness he showed her, and of the resonance they felt. Was this odd? A wound was hardly something to look upon with fondness. The entire experience had been so ethereal for her; one moment the two were locked in battle and the next Hakumen was escorting her to safety. He battled Arakune in his weakened state, protected and risked his own life for her. Why? The questions welling in her head began to spin, mixing together until they flowed into one another, a miasma of emotions, questions and thoughts. She clutched her hand to her chest. He was walking away, casually, without haste or hesitation, with total indifference. The door opened and snapped shut. His eyes…the two red eyes on his shoulder blades stared at her. She sighed. Were they staring? Was he watching her even as he left?

A pain coursed through her chest, and spread slowly, like minute tendrils, through her body. They crept up her sternum and into her throat, twisting and writhing together into a ball and sat there, heavily. Broodingly. She clenched her hand over her chest more tightly into a fist. A feeling was pooling in the pit of her stomach, it's weight growing steadily, threatening to bring her to collapse forward. A swooping sensation flew through her stomach. 'These feelings,' she thought, 'I know them.' She grasped her hands to her chest. 'This pain…this sadness,' she continued, 'I know what it is.'

Carl tapped Ada on the shoulder. "Sis?" he asked, "Sis? You've been dozing off an awful lot today. I think we should turn in for the night." Ada looked blankly at Carl. She nodded vaguely and gave him a soft embrace. Carl got up; they were still in the clinic, and he had to ask Litchi permission to stay the night. He came back and told Ada the two could stay the night.

"I'll go to sleep in a few minutes Carl, I'm going to observe this wound a bit longer," said Ada. She wanted an excuse to continue her introspection. Carl looked worried, but nodded and laid down on a nearby bed. Within a few minutes he was asleep. Ada stood up and shakily made her way to the window. The lights of Orient Town shone brightly outside as dazzled passersby walked through the street. Ada stared outside, and in time felt herself growing drowsy; the thoughts in her head were clouding with each second. She could not tell when she lost consciousness. When she awoke, it was to the quiet and darkness of the very early morning. She had fallen asleep with her head and shoulder leaning against the wall under the windowsill, her legs folded and tucked under her. She looked blearily about the room and slowly stood up. A dull pain was throbbing in her leg; the deep cut left by Hakumen's blade had only begun to show signs of healing, and she expected further progress to be exceptionally slow. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow cross outside the window and pause. She turned her head, and in an instant, the figure was gone. 'C-could that possibly be Hakumen?' Ada thought wildly. She shook her head; that thought was not only ludicrous, it grasped at the thinnest and most frayed threads of reason. 'I have to make sure,' she thought, 'I have to make sure.' She walked over to the clinic door and opened it slowly so as not to wake Carl.

Cool air swept about her; the street was deathly quiet and only the occasional light shone out down the road. Ada looked about, but caught no glimpse of any figure, much less Hakumen's. With a wistful sigh, she turned to head back inside, pausing only long enough to whisper, "I guess I was wrong. I wish it really _was_ Hakumen." She closed the door behind her with a soft _click_.

Around the corner of the clinic, hidden from sight in an alley stood Hakumen; he smirked internally. "It was," he said quietly.

* * *

**It begins, once again!**

_The camera focuses on the news desk as two figures shuffle into their seats. The lights come on and the figure on the right begins to speak._

"Hey everybody! I'm the co-host Ragna the Bloodedge!" says Ragna cheerily.

"And I'm the main host, Kokonoe," muses Kokonoe. She pops her sucker back into her mouth and shuffles the papers in front of her. "Today," she says thickly, "We'll be interviewing Carl Clover and his lovely sister, Deus Machina: Nirvana. Or Ada, if that's your preference. Bring 'em in Tager!"

Ominous rumbling is heard, along with shouting that sounds similar to "Fluster". With a resounding crash, Golden Tager breaks through the ceiling, screaming, "…EMERALD BUSTER!" Carl slams the ground with enough force to bounce several feet into the air and land, with striking precision, on the chair set up for him. "YET ANOTHER POSSIBILITY OF THE CONTINUUM SHIFT!" shouts Golden Tager, before rocketing up into the sky, breaking more ceiling in the process.

With a swish and a soft musical tone, Ada teleports next to her brother and sits down in a chair offered to her by Arakune. She nudges Carl gently in the ribs, and her sibling blinks his eyes open. "Ow…" he moans, "What happened?"

Kokonoe makes an impatient noise. "You're on BBCS, and we're here to interview you and your…interesting choice in dialogue," she explains.

Ragna snickers. "Yeah," he says, "I kinda feel a little bad about picking on this line though. I mean, just look at it! It's too easy!"

Kokonoe laughs and looks at Carl. "So Carl, we have a question, what spurred you to do it?"

Carl stares at Kokonoe, confused. "What are you talking about?" His sister shudders a bit; a small fit of giggling is beginning to take hold of her. Bewildered, he looks to his sister. "Are you in on this too Ada?" he asks.

Ragna cuts across Carl's question. "So Carl, what made you decide on that line?"

Carl's eyes widen. "On what line? Won't someone tell me what's going on?"

Ragna begins to laugh in earnest. "'Going in strong' indeed, huh Carl?" he laughs.

Carl cocks his head inquisitively. "What are you talking about?"

Ragna, Kokonoe and Ada continue laughing hysterically. In between gasps for air, Ada tells Carl, "I'll tell you when you're older Carl. Much older."

Kokonoe gives Ada a sly look and says silkily, "I can always arrange for him to _accidentally_ stumble upon you and Hakumen you know…"

Ada blushes. "That won't be necessary…" she mumbles.

Carl looks between the three of them. "SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT'S SO DAMN FUNNY!"

Ragna waves to the camera. "That's all the time we have for today! See you next time on BBCS!"


End file.
